Welcome to the Power UP Foundation Societies.
My school is participating in the Power UP Societies, where do I find the discussion?
The discussion and weekly lessons are on our Power UP Societies Forum. Click here to view the Society Forum.
What is the Power UP Society?
The Power UP Society is a program designed for students attending middle school and high school. The Society is made up of members representing every extracurricular activity within the school, both athletic and academic. In addition, the Power UP Society encourages students that currently are not members of any school program, sport, or club.
Once the Society is formed, members of the society will elect officers that include a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. In addition, members will elect a senior, junior, sophomore, and freshman class representatives.
Once elected, the President will appoint five committee chairpersons. Society committee’s include: physical fitness, academic achievement, community volunteering, event planning, and fundraising. All members of the Society will serve on one of the five committees.
What are the goals and mission statement of the Power UP Society?
The mission statement of the Society is to create a more positive atmosphere within the educational system and to promote a higher level of academic achievement, improved physical fitness, and social maturation of students.
The goals of the Society are to reduce teen suicide, bullying, cyber bullying, and intolerance for others that are different, boost academic performance, improve physical fitness, and to develop a more community minded student.
How is the Power UP Society different from other school programs?
The Societies are designed with the idea in mind of having students helping students, to become stewards of their school and not simply students. For example: The physical fitness committee is responsible for organizing one physical fitness activity for the entire school at least once per week.
However, they would not simply schedule the weight room, open the doors and hope that their peers would walk through the doors. They will actively walk through the hallways and encourage students who would otherwise never come to a weight room out of fear of being laughed at, picked on, or bullied.
Once successful by including more students to become physically healthy, members of the physical fitness committee will encourage students to continue their goals of improving their health and track their success.
All students of the school are eligible to join the Power UP Society; however we encourage representation from every extracurricular activity within the school both athletic and academic.
Why should your school implement the Power UP Society?
- Prevention of teen suicide
- Reduce the number of victims of bullying (in person and cyber)
- Reduce the percentage of teen obesity
- Reduce teen crime
- Increase academic performance and achievement
- Increase self confidence
- Create a more community based student
- Improve school/student relationship with community
Statistics as to why the Power UP Society belongs in your school:
Youth Suicide
- Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death for adults between the ages of 18 and 65 years in the United States (28,628 suicides).
- Over 34,000 people in the United States die by suicide every year.
- A person dies by suicide about every 15 minutes in the United States. An attempt is estimated to be made once every minute.
- Every day, approximately 90 Americans take their own life, and 2,300 more attempt to do so.
- Ninety percent of all people who die by suicide have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder at the time of their death.
- Suicide is the third leading cause of death among those 15-24 years old.
Statistics provided by American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Bullying
- 1 out of 4 kids is bullied. An American Justice Department school bullying statistics and cyber bullying statistics studies shows that this month 1 out of every 4 kids will be abused by another youth.
- In a recent school bullying statistics study, 77% of the students said they had been bullied. And 14% of those who were bullied said they experienced severe (bad) reactions to the abuse. Many have tried to stop cyber bullying according to cyber bullying statistics.
- 1 out of 5 kids on a school bullying statistics and cyber bullying statistics study admit to being a bully, or doing some “Bullying.”
- Each day 160,000 students miss school for fear of being bullied.
- Playground school bullying statistics – Every 7 minutes a child is bullied. Adult intervention – 4%. Peer intervention – 11%. No intervention – 85%.
Statistics provided by American Justice Department
Obesity
- Percent of adults age 20 years and over who are obese: 34% (2007-2008)
- Percent of adolescents age 12-19 years who are obese: 18% (2007-2008)
- 80% of type II diabetes related to obesity
- 70% of Cardiovascular disease related to obesity
- 42% breast and colon cancer diagnosed among obese individuals
- 30% of gall bladder surgery related to obesity
- 26% of obese people having high blood pressure
Statistics provided by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For more information on how you can implement the Power UP Society in your school contact Coach Doug Merrill or Cyndi Abdon.